Is Bob Lang

[Steve Calabro]

Jim, I agree with you 100%. The schedule did not work. There was a wait after Super Gas ran for the Stockers to get back. They could have run another class in between and not lost any time. Also your post about the small tire big HP cars was right on. There was NO track prep between or during the sessions.

[Jim D'Amore]

Pistol Pete,

At events where they have class, I do not think they should throw in another special class like the Factory Shoot out. The stock guys will have to make decisions wether they want to run class or support the factory shoot out. I thought most of the NHRA officials are Racers or Ex-Racers, No Racer wants to turn his car around in anywhere from 5-14 minutes for 6 rounds in a Row. That is what they did on Thursday. Just like a clutch car when the clutches get to extreme temperatures because they are designed to slip, a loose Torque converter can also generate a massive amount of heat. This will lead to hurting the transmission or over heating the fluid and pushing it out onto the track. It was an extremely unsafe decision on NHRA's part to have two rounds of qualifying then 4 rounds of class and four rounds of factory shoot out.


442 Olds,

That is uncalled for too. Races should have at least 45 minute cool down time to prepare, in most cases a car will make it down the track fine back to back passes. But it will struggle to make 6 back to back runs in a row.


1320 Racer,

I agree with you the track prep should have started a day before the race was scheduled. as far as racing in the NHRA series they are the only ball game in town. If you dont play by their rules in their ball park they will punish you. The problem here is that stock eliminator is their largest class, that means there are thousands of stocker racers that want to race. So they are willing to accept the schedule and track prep. This time was the NHRA's choice to leave the schedule as is and the track as is. Like I said before alot of the new stockers that come from Ford, GM, and Dodge have as much torque as a prostock car does. I know they know this. You dont see them calling a Pro Stock back to the lanes in under 5 minutes. They allow these new cars in NHRA so they should make it fair for them too.


Larry Hill,

In every series that I have sponsored Track prep fell under the starters responsibilities. Maybe NHRA should take some of the sportsman entry money and higher a starter just for the Sportsman classes. That Starter works directly with the Sportsman racers.


Bruce Nolan,

Our company has worked with many of the NHRA advertisers and sponsors already in other series. Advertisers are very important to the series as they are to the Racer. Most Racers want to perform as well for their sponsors as they do for themselves. It is important to keep everyone happy, this is a very ego driven sport and its not good to bruise egos. Because bruised ego's typically walk away. We had a class in Fun Ford weekend where we gave away a brand new Truck to the class champion and a free two year lease to the runner up. This was because we worked with the advertising company and the Ford Virginia Truck Plant. We brought them to an event and got them involved going to the event a day early, sitting them in our vehicles, let them start the race vehicles and gave them all team shirts. I know alot of racers this weekend spent extra time with their sponsors and people that helped them out and get to the event. So you want to perform well for these sponsors/people. The NHRA just made it impossible with the schedule and track prep.



I wonder if it is possible If Bob Lang would jump in on here and explain the Division 1 side of the story. Maybe Bob has no say at national events. It would be nice to interact with one of NHRA's top guys on this matter. I know I spoke to an official that was mixing the traction compound he said sometimes it takes a while to get the mix right. Then he said the only thing they need to do is take more clutch out of the cars. Which 90% of the cars there were probably Automatics! I spoke to him long before the Pros ran and infact it was a day before they ran. I hope Bob will help all the racers in this situation after all this is Division 1 and we dont want other divisions making fun of us do we?

[Bob Bender]

Originally Posted by Pistol Pete

I thought the Run Schedule was Just Plain Awful !!!!!!

I was at fuel check after my 1st time shot & i hear them say " Stock To The Lanes"

I didn't even get back to my trailer yet to cool down, charge the battery, ect.....

I didn't even bother with the 2nd time run.

" Just Plain Awful."

Pete, go up early and have time. I do.

[James Perrone]

My car was fine ..didn't spin once ..lol Now I agree the track was not great..but look at the weather it was like living on THE SUN..It was cool that they ran class Thursday..But at Etown racing is from 10.00 to 6.00..gotta get it done Track temp is 120 PLUS all weekend..Now about the factory shootout cars ..You guys are running a 9 inch tire making 850 to 1000+ HP..in horrible conditions..I feel bad for everyone that spun ..you too Bo.
But this is NHRAs call ..Etown works better on a regular bracket day than last weekend..
Ed this is what we do ..been there done the bracket racing..We go cause we love racing..

[boster]

My cars would not go down the track , in the first round of super stock we pulled 12 degree's of timing out , lower the rpm 600 and did a light burn out tires 128 , track 126 and loosen the front end all the way up . Still the car would not move off the line . It was pretty much the same in the FCS , I did not get a single clean run

I talked to a official on the starting line and he knew what was wrong and had suggestion's how to fix it , he said his ideals were rejected by NHRA brass and stated he was only a "pee ion " and could not do anything . He was disgusted with the track condition and since he was on the line he was getting a rash of shi* from everyone .

I support David Barton's stand but we should direct our complaints to the main man in charge Tom Compton and not the officials that we race with every week . They can only do so much with what they have to work with. My guess is that NHRA is cutting cost at the sportsman racers expense to save money

As a paying customer I know I cant make any money racing , I know when I figure out my cost it cost me a $700 a run with all my expenses to go to the races but I go . But when it gets to the point were the track is not prepped like a NHRA track that's when I really start to ask myself if it's really worth it .

I like hanging with everyone one at the track, racers and officials and both are not happy with what happened at Etown this past weekend . This is happening a lot more often now . Last year I packed up and left the Bristol D2 event last fall the track was worst then Etown .

Just my rant

But as Bob Bender told me this weekend keep smiling

[Pistol Pete]

Jim

I did not comment on the Factory Class Cars.....

I just commented on the run schedule.

If i was down to the semi finals i wouldn't complain that they called me up.
That's a totally different scenario.

[Steve Williams]

I believe that all National event track prep is handled by the NHRA and not the division or track personnel. This scenario played itself out a few years ago at Atlanta, where the track personnel told NHRA that VHT was their compound weekly and at the division race and that VP didn't agree with their surface. Even offered to use their own supply for them to prep the track with. Tough luck, VP it was and I remember that it was so bad that a golf cart could blow the tire off. Anybody remember stockers spinning the tire past half track. If you were there you would remember it in eliminations. Qualifiers were not much better.

[David Barton]

Track temp isn't the problem. I've raced on many hot tracks and I've never seen such a pitiful starting line. I remember a couple years ago at Indy the air temp was over 100 degrees and there were no traction problems like this. So how can you blame it on track temp?

I understand the officials may not have complete control of the situation but they just stand there acting like we're crazy for even looking at it. Some people were booted off the line because they were simply looking at the lanes before their cars arrived. If the track was any good you wouldn't have to get a preview.

Where do we go from here? Who's making the decisions? Can we all stand up and make a difference? Would enough people stand up to make a difference? I don't need to support NHRA, especially if they are not supporting me. It kills me to think I would have to go somewhere else but I can't keep wasting time racing on ***** tracks. Unlike most, I do depend on this sport to make money.

[1320racer]

Originally Posted by James Perrone

Track temp is 120 PLUS all weekend..Now about the factory shootout cars ..You guys are running a 9 inch tire making 850 to 1000+ HP..in horrible conditions..I feel bad for everyone that spun ..you too Bo.
Ed this is what we do ..been there done the bracket racing..We go cause we love racing..

James no one loves racing more than me! That said, the track temp wasn't the issue and it wasn't only cobra jets like Bo's cars blowing the tires off. Larry Pappas doesn't make 600 HP and he smoked the tires. I also watched big tire super stockers like Peter Biondo and Ron Morehead blow the tires off along with dozens of other stock and super stock racers. Bottomline is the track wasn't prepped properly and NO attempt was ever made to fix it while I was there Friday.

BTW, one of your friends and competitors told me on Friday that he comment to an official about how the track was a joke and was told "you can blame bob lang for that"

BTW 2, Saturday's weather was worse if anything and I dead hooked every pass at my home track with a 120+ degree starting line!

[ATI Performance Products]

Bob if you can defend that schedule at all then you are a glutten for punishment! Also your car will hook being the first car out.....ours will not and we need wait for a little bit of rubber. We where not able to get parked wed night since they stopped at 6pm, with 2 hours of daylight left. Then why would anyone only put one class in between Stock when there was plenty of others to run? Someone who either doesn't like Stock or doesn't have a clue about actually racing a car had to make that schedule. Although I can say the sched was out early, I even printed it a week earlier and never said a word or thought about it. So shame on me. After killing ourselves to get the stocker down 3 times (or once and spun twice), it was time for Super Stock and the COPO never was able to move an inch even leaving at 2900 off the foot brake. Twice due to track and once my own fault. 4 days at the track, two cars, and 3 solid passes total. I can think of better things to do with 4 days.....

Originally Posted by Bob Bender

Pete, go up early and have time. I do.